A MEMBER of the Thames Valley Police Authority has praised the force after new figures showed crime in the region fell by 9.4 per cent.

The reduction means there were 11,408 fewer victims of crime across the Thames Valley in 2007-08 than in 2006-07.

Thames Valley Police Authority will discuss the figures at the first full meeting of the financial year tomorrow, but Ben Simpson, lead member for performance, praised staff and officers in the force for their efforts.

The force answered more than 90 per cent of non-emergency calls within 40 seconds, and 90 per cent of 999 calls within ten seconds, meeting tough targets.

Police Community Support Officers have hit their target of spending more than 80 per cent of their time on the streets, and between November 06 and October 07 more than 50,808 offenders were brought to justice, exceeding the target by more than 1,000.

He said: "These are impressive figures and I would like to say a big thank-you' on behalf of the authority for all the effort which has gone into bringing this about.

"We consult with our communities and partners and I know we are addressing their priorities. I have seen at first hand just how much hard work goes into solving the problems people have identified.

"We have put neighbourhood policing at the heart of everything the authority and the force does and these results show this emphasis is working.

"As lead member for performance for the Authority, I constantly monitor the performance of the Force and I have been delighted with what I have seen.

"However, there is always room for improvement and we must now work towards continuing this trend."